My top 10 favorite finds last July

July was a crazy awesome month for me. I was able to visit Tokyo for the launch of Shiseido's latest skincare line, Ibuki! Even with the surprise trip, I also managed to organize a press and blogger event for Pinkbox (more on that soon). I'm not bragging, honest. I'm saying all this with a mild disbelief: how?

Counting chairs

August should be a quieter month, I think! I am going to Hong Kong today to relax a little, see the sights, shop for interesting things. I've scheduled a few posts for you that I think you'll like, so keep on visiting and commenting! ^_^ Let me start off with my monthly favorites.

I must have at least one lip balm in every bag. My latest find is the Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm! This doesn't actually tint my lips at all, but I love the buttery texture and caramel scent. It also moisturizes my lips for hours on end.

The IN2IT Moisture Intense Lipstick in Pink Alarm is an eye-catching hot pink lipstick with a nice formula. If you like hot pinks, I dare say that this is a must-have - it's just so bright and fun! The price is very affordable too considering the quality you get.

More lip stuff! The OCC Lip Tar Pro's Picks Set v2.0 is a collection of five highly pigmented liquid lipsticks/ blush that you can mix and match to form new colors. How cool is that? It comes with a lip brush for breezy application but I prefer to just use my fingers to retouch the color when I'm out. Problem solved.

My current favorite foundation - the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Compact. It's awesome. If you have dry/combi skin and have always wished for Bobbi's liquid foundation to come in a handy cream compact, YOU WILL LOVE THIS. It looks like skin, it's super easy to apply, and stays on pretty much all day with minimal retouching.

And here's a new powder I am enjoying: the BYS Minerals Naturale Compact Foundation. It can be used by itself, but I find that this performs best on top of some wet base - BB creams, tinted moisturizer, and liquid foundation. It has a super smooth, glowy (yet not shimmery) finish that'll really take your base makeup to the next level.

The Etude House Color Pop Drawing Show Creamy Pencil can put many colored eyeliners to shame. They are bright and they stick on like a mother bumper. Colored eyeliners like this can shake up your makeup routine, so I suggest you get a few if you haven't yet. ;) They are especially handy when you are too lazy to apply eyeshadow.

Best blending brush I've tried so far: the MAC 217. It's expensive and you don't really need need it, but you will elevate your eye makeup when you finally get it. You'll just see the difference.

Don't you just love it when inexpensive things work amazingly well? The Suesh Large Eyeshadow Brush is my favorite lid brush at the moment. It makes my eyeshadows look more colorful and vibrant without too much layering!

My right arm suddenly started itching yesterday for no obvious reason. It was so itchy, I got this huge pantal (elevated rash)! Yuck. So I applied a glop of the VMV Hypoallergenics ID Monolaurin Gel and poof, the itchiness and redness are gone in like fifteen minutes. It's also great for sanitizing and drying up pimples quickly. Love this stuff.

I got a bunch of things in Tokyo but this turned out to be the most useful one - the Cath Kidston tote. It's cute and all that, but it's also a great roomy bag that can fit in a few hours of shopping. Sooo happy that I got it at a bargain! Sale season in Japan is crazy.

So there you go! As usual, please share your favorite finds from July! Would love to know what you unearthed!